When this list was compiled a year ago, Vick was more cautionary tale than superstar and hadn't taken regular snaps in three full seasons. Now he's the leader of everybody's chic pick to win the Super Bowl and the complete quarterback everybody fantasized about when the Falcons gave up a boatload on draft day to land him. He's still breathtaking in the open field, but his improved decision-making and pocket patience makes him close to unstoppable.

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No. 9: Adrian Peterson

With his relentless, pounding style, critics (and opposing players and fans) keep waiting for Peterson to break down. But Peterson just keeps cranking out 1,200-yard seasons like they're a dive up the middle, and he shows no indication of slowing down in Year 5. Through two games, Peterson's yards per carry is his highest since his rookie campaign. Oh, and he's cut down on his nasty fumbling habit. Defenses will be dealing with Peterson "All Day" for quite some time still.

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No. 8: Ndamukong Suh

SN's highest ranked player who didn't crack last year's Top 100, Ndamukong Suh has accomplished the unthinkable: He's making people fear playing Detroit. And opposing quarterbacks and running backs should be afraid of the Defensive Rookie of the Year. This is a guy who shrugged off a personal foul after a near-decapitation of rookie QB Andy Dalton by claiming he's so big and strong, NFL referees don't know how to gauge the violence of his hits. Are you going to tell him he's wrong? Didn't think so.

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No. 7 Andre Johnson

Double coverage. Sprained ankles. Dislocated fingers. You'll have to come up with something better to stop the league's best wide receiver. Johnson hasn't failed to reach 1,000 yards receiving in a full season since his rookie year, and last year he only needed 13 games (that pesky ankle) to top the 1,200-yard plateau. If Johnson finally leads the Texans into the playoffs for the first time in franchise history, even No. 7 might feel a little low.

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No. 6 Haloti Ngata

Ask Rashard Mendenhall if he disagrees with this choice. Or maybe he's not the best to ask, because he's probably still wondering where that freight train came from. Ngata's mauling of the Steelers' running back opened the floodgates of a Week 1 demolition, which Ngata was right in the middle of as the Ravens' unblockable defensive tackle. After forcing one fumble and recovering two in Baltimore's first two games, he was rewarded with a fat new contract.

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No. 5: Darrelle Revis

They call the man "Revis Island" for a reason. Receivers with the misfortune of lining up against the league's premier cover corner can plan on three hours of isolation and watching the ball go to the other side of the field. Revis didn't record a single pick in 2010, and that may be the highest form of flattery that can be heaped on him. Sure, quarterbacks can try throwing at Revis, but we wouldn't advise it. Isn't that right, Tony Romo?

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No. 4 Peyton Manning

Maybe this ranking is too low. Indy usually doesn't lose its second game until some time in mid-December, and often after the AFC South is well in hand. But the Colts, without the game's savviest quarterback, are 0-2 and the new dark-horse pick to win big in the Andrew Luck Sweepstakes. Absence really does make the heart grow fonder.

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No. 3: Drew Brees

A perennial Pro Bowler, he's merely dissected two of the NFL's top defenses this season. And last week he did it without his No. 1 target, Marquis Colston. Brees has topped the 4,000-yard mark in each of his five seasons in New Orleans with no sign of slowing down. Sure it's only been two games, but he's on pace for career highs in yards, touchdowns and QB rating. And after throwing an unsightly 22 picks last year and tying a career-high with nine fumbles, he hasn't turned over the rock once in 2011.

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No. 2 Tom Brady

You could say Brady's numbers are video-game-like. But even video games are starting to program stouter defenses. Fourth down? Yawn. Ball on the 1? Who cares. Brady has made a mockery of the two defenses with the misfortune of crossing his path this year, both of which were top 10 passing D's a year ago. He had the fifth-highest yardage total ever in the opener, and followed it with a meager 423 in Week 2. Without a single superstar in the receiving corps, Brady is still completing 71.6-percent of his passes with a rating of 128.0. And this isn't the best player in the league?

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No. 1: Aaron Rodgers

Here's one more belt for Rodgers to claim. Rodgers is a devastatingly accurate pocket passer who is more than happy to take off and run for the first down when things collapse around him. But with the arsenal of weapons around him, Rodgers has been more content than ever to sit back and fling the ball around. Nine Packers had at least one reception in each of Green Bay's first two games. And he's had no problem getting the ball to his receivers, completing better than 70-percent of his passes without a single interception.